Volkswagen yesterday unveiled the much anticipated platform for the next generation of its cars, MQB, at its Wolfsburg Headquarters. This showcased platform is to be called Modularer Querbaukasten in German, which when roughly translated in English, turns out to be Modular Transverse Matrix.
The MQB will form the basis of every car that Volkswagen makes from now on. The company officials were reported saying that the basis of setting this production trend was the test conditions, where the MQB succeeded in its flexibility test, stretching from Polo to Passat’s platform size. The best feature of MQB platform is its flexibility, which enables it to be used on a number of platforms, whether it is transverse, front-engine or four-wheel drive models, with same set of components. This platform is all set to standardize vehicle component parameters over the coming years, irrespective of the brand and class of the vehicles. Rumors are rife that the new Golf to be featured at Paris Motor Show this year, and Audi’s A3 hatch and sedan at Geneva Motor Show in March, will be using this MQB platform that has been unveiled by the automaker yesterday.
Few Volkswagen insiders were saying that the company is all set to turn all its production units across the globe into multi-brand facilities. This means all our favorite luxury car models of the VW, Skoda and even Audi’s are going to be manufactured in the same production unit. They said that apart from setting a trend of new vehicle platform system with MQB, this decision is going to set a benchmark in the in the projection of sales target too. The MQB has another huge advantage, where a common engine mounting system allows for both diesel and petrol engines mounted in a similar manner and at same angle of proclivity. Moreover, the Modularer Querbaukasten is found out to be lighter amongst all the current platforms used by the company. This will certainly make the upcoming cars featuring MQB platform much lighter. The Volkswagen insiders also affirmed the news that the company is going to introduce 20 new features in the infotainment and safety areas for its high-end cars.
A common design and development of petrol and diesel engines for the MQB is on the cards. It’s been reported that the company is working on MQB’s exclusive turbocharged 1.2 L petrol engine, and 800 cc diesel engine. The petrol engine is going to be a four-cylinder engine, named EA211 Series. This engine is supposed to offer a brake power somewhere between 44kW and 110kW. The diesel-powered engine has been named as EA288 Diesel Series. The EA288 series will be a four-cylinder engine capable of delivering the brake power count between 66kW and 140kW, depending on the engine’s tune.
